Drain mounting and sealing arrangement



J n. 8, 1952 c. HARBISON DRAIN MOUNTING AND SEALING ARRANGEMENT FiledJan. 17, 1947 n o l b A; T vC we IQ P 0 e 6 His Attovney.

' Patented Jan. 8, 1952 DRAINIMOUNTITIG A ND'SEALING ARRANGEMENT GeorgeC. Hal-bison, Erie, Pa., assignor to General :ElectricCompa'ny, acorporation of New York Application January 11, issnseriai Nanassz 4Claims. (01. 182-8) invention relates to drains and more particularly toan improved arrangement for mounting and sealing liquid drains. l It isanobject of this invention to provide an improved arrangement forconducting liquid from the interior to the exterior of a cabinet.

-Itis another object of this invention to provide an improved drain forconducting liquid from a cabinet and including a .linerfor the drainadapted to be assembled from the exterior of the cabinet. i It is afurther object-of this invention to provide a cabinet of the type havingspaced inner and-outer walls and including an improved arrangement forincorporating a drain in the cabinet and for sealing the drain to theinner and the outer walls.

It is still another object of-myinvention to provide a drain for acabinet including a drain tube which can be easilyassembled in thecabinet in sealing engagement therewith and -which can be--easilydisassembled therefrom by fastening devices-readily accessiblefrom the exterior of the-cabinet and from an interior compartment of thecabinet. i

In some cabinets liquid, such as moisture condensedhirom the air in arefrigerator, collects drom timeto time and it is desirable to disposeof; thial ql ld insome manner. This can be accomplished satisfactorily.by providing a drain for conducting the liquid from the interior of thecabinetto the exterior thereof. The problenrof disposal of liquid isparticularly important inthe case-of some refrigerator cabinets whereinI afood storage compartment-is maintained at a relatively high humidity.Undersuch conditions substantial quantities of condensed moisturemayduring; the operation of the refrigerator. problem-oi. disposing-ofthi water issomewhat complicated by the fact that thespace between theinner. and outer .wallsof a refrigerator cabinet isusually filled withheat-insulating material,.and any .drainpassage from the interior of therefrigerator. cabinet to theexterior must extend through theintermediate heat-insulating material. -;I Inless adequate-provision ismade, moisture. may leak into the heat-insulatingma terialthe, area-of,the drainpassage. The leakage .of such moisture is -,disadvantageousbe.-

it tendsto reduce the insulating effect of the-heat-insulating. materialand because, more- .over, it may result indeterioration ofthe-heatinsulating material. Accordingly, it is another object-ofmyinvention to provide a. drain for a refrigerator cabinet; including ian hnproved ar rangement'by which the amount ofmoisture leaking into theheat-insulating material in. the vicinityof the drain will be minimized.

It is still another object ofv my invention, to provide adrain for arefrigerator cabinet including a seal for'minimizing the leakage ofmoisture into the heat insulating material wherein a por- -tion of theseal is incorporated in a trap for preventing the free circulation ofair through the drain.

Further objects and advantagesof my invention will appear as thisdescription proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize myinvention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexedto and forming a part of drain.

' this depressed portion and a passage l3 ex Referring now to Fig. 1,there is illustrated a refrigeratorcabinet I includingan inner wall orliner 2 and an outer wall 3. The space between the inner and outer wallsis filled with any suitable heat-insulating material 4. The refrigeratorcabinet includes a food storage space 5 and a machinery compartment 6.-A door 1 is provided for closing the food storage compartmentand a cover8 is provided for covering the front opening of the machinerycompartment. The space between the innerwall 2 and the outer wall 3 atthe front of the food storage compartment is closed by aheat-insulatingbreaker strip 9.

"' Duringthe operation of the refrigerator, mois.-;

ture may condense from time to time on surfaces within the food storagecompartment 5. In order to provide for removal of this liquid, the bot-:

tom surface of the food-storage compartment is arranged toslope toward adepressed portion is located preferably near the. rear ofthe food stor-.age compartment. An opening II is provided-in tends from this. openingthrough the heat-insulating material to the machinery compartment 6,passing through an opening provided in a bottom portion iii of the outerwall 3. The passage it, therefore, provides a path for the. flow: of

- condensed moisture from the food storage compartment-to the machinerycompartment of..the refrigerator.- Within .the machinery-comparing ment,a receptacle l I is provided beneath the bot-- partment.

Referring now to the details of the drain as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it.can be seen that the drain passes directly through the heat-insulatingmaterial 4 from the inner wall on one side of the heat-insulatingmaterial to the outer wall on the other side oi! the heat-insulatingmaterial. Because of the substantially continuous existence of moisturein the area oi thedrain, there is a tendency for the moisture to leakinto the heatinsulating material. In order to minimize leakage oimoisture into the heat-insulating material, an arrangement is providedfor sealing the drain to the inner wall 2 and to the bottom portion iii-of the outer wall 3. Within the passage i2, a liner or tube I8 01heat-insulating. moisture-impervious material, such as rubber, isprovided. The tube l6 includes near its lower end an outwardly-extendingportion or flange I! which. is adapted to be brought into sealingengagement with the outer wall. In order to hold this flange H insealing engagement with the outer wall, a ring 18 or member is provided.The ring I8 is pressed against the flange llto hold the-latter firmlyagainst the outer wall by screws or elements l9, which engage threadedopenings in a ring or element 29, which is secured to the outer wall inany suitable manner, as by welding. If desired the screws l9 may engagethreaded openings in the outer wall itself. but

it is usually more satisfactory to provide an'additional part or parts,as the ring. 20, on the' interior of the wall to provide more durablethreaded openings for cooperation with the screws iii. In theconstruction shown, the flange l1 acts as a gasket to prevent leakage oimoisture into the heat-insulating material, along the outer wall. Sincethe flange I1 is integral with the tube I6, this arrangement alsoeffectively prevents the leakage of moisture into the heat-insulatingmaterial along the exterior of the tube Hi. In order to direct liquidfrom the passage I2 downwardly upon the sloping sides of a raisedportion 2| of the. receptacle H,

the lower end or the tube It is tapered as III-- The sloping sides ofthe raised.,.'

the tube 16 includes an inwardly extending pori tion or flange 25 whichfits over, the top of the" nut In order ,to hold the portion 25 of thetube insealing engagement with the depressed portion Ill of the innerwall 2, a second coupling.

element or threaded collar 26 is provided. The collar 28 is arranged toextend through the opening ii in the depressed portion ID of the innerwall and is provided with a flange 21 which overlies the inner wall 2.The collar 26 is threaded exteriorly in order to engage the internallythreaded nut 24. As the collar 26 engages the nut 24, the portion 25 ofthe tube is pressed into sealing engagement with the inner wall 2, andleakage of moisture into the heatinsulating material in the area oi theupper end of the tube It is minimized. In order to provide an additionalseal and to prevent marring or the surface of the inner wall, a washer28 is included between the flange 21 and the inner wall.

As can be seen clearly from Fig. 2, the flange 21 of the collar extendsa substantial distance above the surface of the depressed portion ID ofthe inner wall. The flange 21 supports a cap 29 in such a manner as toiorm therewith a trap to prevent the free circulation of air between theiood storage compartment and the exterior oi the refrigerator. This cap29 includes a central depending guide portion 20 which fits within thecollar 26. The cap also includes radial ribs 2i which rest on the top01' the collar 26 in order to provide space between the lower suriace 32or the cap and. the collar for the passage or liquid draining from thecompartment. The cap is provided with a downwardly extending portion 33along its outer edge, which extends belowthe top surface of the collar26 but is held somewhat above. the surface of the depressed portion I0'oi'the inner wall. By'this arrangement a pool oi! liquidex tending tothe level of the top of ,the collar 26" is held within the depressedportion I0 ofthe" inner wall and the depending edges or the'cap extendinto this pool of. water to prevent free circulation of air between thefood storage coin-.- partment and the exterior of the retrigeraton' Bythe arrangement described 'above the drain tube It can readily beinserted after the re-' irigerator cabinet has been assembled. The'tubeis inserted through the outer wall upwardly. into plet'ed cabinet.

the drain passage from .the. machinery .compartment and the lower end isthen sealed to the outer wall by the screws i9, which are readilyaccessible. The upper portionof thejdrain tube is clamped in sealingengagement with the inner wall by means of the co11ar 26, -which'-isreadily accessible from within the food storage compartment. Similarly,should it be desired to remove the drain tube for any reason, as forreplacement, the disassembly can be accomplished easily through theaboverd'escribed" fastening devices" which are accessible even in.-the'- com- While I have described my invention in connection with aparticular form ofi'household refrigerator, it "will .be apparent tothose skilledlin the art that'it' can be applied to any.

apparatus wherein it is desired to prevent.leak-.- age of moisture intothe areav between'spac'ed walls. I' intend, therefore, by the appended.

and scope of my invention.

claimsto cover all modifications within'ithe spirit What -I claim as newand desire to secured)! Letters Patent of the Unitedstates is:

'1. In combination, an inner wall forming a compartment and having anopening therein, an

outer wall spaced from said inner wall and having an opening therein,means including a tube having a flange portion adjacent said outer wallfor conducting liquid from said col'npartment,

means including cooperating elements disposed. on both, sides of saidouter wall for -maintaining;

said flange portion sealing engagement, with said outer .wall,'saidtubeincluding a second flange portion adjacent said inner wall, and meansreadily accessible from withinsaid compartment and including cooperatingelements disposed on both sides of said inner wall for maintaining saidsecond flange portion in sealing engagement with said inner wall.

2. In combination, an inner wall forming a compartment and having anopening therein, an outer wall spaced from said inner wall and having anopening therein, means for conducting liquid from said compartment, saidmeans including a tube having a first flange portion, means accessiblefrom the exterior of saidouter wall and including cooperatin elementsdisposed on both sides of said outer wall for maintaining said flangeportion in sealing engagement with said outer wall, said tube includinga second flange portion, a coupling element within said tube adjacentsaid second flange portion, and a second coupling element accessiblefrom within said compartment for engagin said first coupling element tomaintain said second flange portion in sealing engagement with saidinner wall.

3. In combination, an inner wall forming a compartment and having anopening therein, an outer wall spaced from said inner wall and having anopening therein, means including a tube having an inwardly extendingportion adjacent said inner wall for conducting liquid from saidcompartment, means readily accessible from within said compartment andincluding cooperating elements disposed on both sides of said inner wallfor maintaining said inwardly extending portion in sealing engagementwith said inner wall, said tube including an outwardly extending portionadjacent said outer wall, and means including cooperating elementsdisposed on both sides of said outer wall for maintaining said outwardlyextending portion in sealing engagement with said outer wall.

4. In combination, an inner wall forming a compartment having an openingtherein, an

outer wall spaced from said inner wall and having an opening therein,means including a tube receivable through said opening in said outerwall for conducting liquid from said compartment, said tube being ofsmaller cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of saidopening in said outer wall, said tube having an inwardly extendingflange portion adjacent said inner wall, a coupling element within saidtube adjacent said inwardly extending flange portion, a second couplingelement accessible from within said compartment for engaging said firstcoupling element to maintain said inwardly extending flange portion insealing engagement with said inner wall, said tube includin an outwardlyextending flange portion adjacent said outer wall, said outwardlyextending flange portion extending beyond the edge of said opening insaid outer wall, a member engaging said outwardly extending flangeportion, and means engaging said member and said outer wall for pressingsaid outwardly extending flange portion into sealing engagement withsaid outer wall.

GEORGE C. HARCBISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 848,147 Willms Mar. 26, 1907989,559 Bohn Apr. 18, 1911 1,253,406 McNeil Jan. 15, 1918 1,566,052 VanDabrowski Dec. 15, 1925 1,684,502 Nilson Sept. 18, 1928 2,087,705 SeitzJuly 20, 1937 2,089,231 Uline Aug. 10, 1937 2,110,927 Zane Mar. 15, 19382,488,232 Peeler Nov. 15, 1949

